X says it has identified a suspected Chinese bot farm of about 200,000 inauthentic accounts involved in influence operations targeting US online debate. The platform said a smaller group of around 200 accounts appeared to coordinate posts about artificial intelligence and data centres, an issue with growing economic, environmental and national-security significance.

According to X, the accounts promoted claims that AI data centres raise household electricity bills, strain power grids and benefit developers at the public’s expense, sometimes using AI-generated cartoons. The report follows OpenAI’s earlier announcement that it had removed accounts likely originating in China which allegedly generated similar US-focused material; the underlying concerns about data centres are also part of a legitimate domestic policy debate.